The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

On the way back to the hotel, Sofia huddled in the corner of the back seat of the van, her knees pressed tightly together, her hands folded on her thighs, the hem of her silver sequined dress so short it barely covered her thighs.

She was wearing Lin Feng's jacket, the large dark gray jacket covering half of her body, only revealing her two incredibly white calves and a pair of dirty bare feet.

Will drove, glancing at the back seat in the rearview mirror without saying a word. Lin Feng sat next to Sophia, a seat's distance between them. The car was quiet, with only the slight sound of the air conditioning vents.

Sofia was still trembling slightly, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell. Her left hand unconsciously twisted the zipper pull of her jacket.

"Your name is Sophia?" Lin Feng asked her slowly in simple English.

The other woman turned to look at him; her grey-green eyes appeared very dark in the dim light of the carriage. She nodded and whispered, "Yes."

"You just said you were forced. Did they do anything to you?"

Sofia shook her head vigorously, her golden-brown hair swaying on her jacket collar. "No, not yet. They said they'd start taking customers today... I was terrified and tried to escape... Then I ran into you, sir..." She glanced down at her feet, where there was a small cut on the sole of her foot from broken glass; the blood had congealed and mixed with dust, sticking to her skin.

"Oh, I see." Lin Feng said in Chinese, then switched to English, "Come back to the hotel with me first. Get some rest tonight, we'll talk about everything else tomorrow."

Sofia seemed to understand, but she nodded nonetheless.

Her English wasn't very good, but she could manage basic communication, though she had a heavy Slavic accent and drew out the last syllables.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Lin Feng asked Sophia to wait in the car for a while while he went to the front desk to request an extra room. The receptionist glanced at him, then at the tall girl in a men's jacket standing behind him, but didn't ask any further questions and quickly completed the check-in process.

The room was located at the very end of the corridor on the fifth floor, three rooms away from 501, so they didn't have to go through Ouyang Qian's door. Lin Feng took the room key and led Sophia upstairs.

The room lights were turned on, and warm yellow light filled the entire space.

Sofia stood in the doorway, hesitant to go inside. She looked up at the chandelier, then down at her dirty feet on the carpet, as if she couldn't believe she was standing in such a place.

Lin Feng took a towel from the bathroom, soaked it in warm water, and handed it to her. "Wipe your foot first, but don't touch the wound."

He took the towel and awkwardly bent down to wipe the dust off his feet.

The silver sequined skirt rode up as she bent over, revealing the back of her thighs, her white skin almost dazzling in the warm light. After wiping it a few times, a gray stain appeared on the towel.

Lin Feng found her a hotel bathrobe and placed it on the chair. "Wear this after you shower. I'll have someone buy you more clothes tomorrow."

Sofia straightened up, holding a towel to her chest with both hands, her gray-green eyes staring straight at Lin Feng.

After a few seconds, she spoke, her voice a little louder than in the car, but still soft: "Why did you help me?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment, "Let's just say... you were lucky."

"But you spent so much money." Her English was halting, each word pronounced with great effort. "The boss said 85,000 euros. I saw you give him the money."

"Maybe they think you're good-looking," Lin Feng said. "But you have nowhere else to go right now. Until you figure out your next step, you can come with me."

Sofia's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded again. She took a towel and went into the bathroom. After the door closed, the sound of running water from the shower could be heard, intermittent and stopping several times, probably because she wasn't familiar with how to use the hotel showerhead.

Lin Feng took the other party's documents and passport back to his room, took a shower, changed his clothes, and threw them into a laundry bag. He leaned against the headboard, scrolled through his phone for a while, and then sent a message to Will, asking him to contact a lawyer the next morning to complete Sofia's residency sponsorship procedures and the so-called employment protection agreement together.

Will replied quickly, saying he would bring his lawyer to the hotel at nine o'clock the next day.

About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.

Lin Feng opened the door, and Sophia was standing outside.

The other person was wearing the hotel's white bathrobe, which was stretched taut at the chest, and the robe's belt was tied tightly, cinching their waist. Their hair wasn't completely dry, and water was still dripping from the ends.

After washing her face, it was even whiter than before, almost unrealistically white, like a porcelain doll. She stood awkwardly in the doorway, clutching the silver sequined dress and the dark gray jacket.

"I...I'm done washing," she said.

"I'll be going now, you should get some rest," Lin Feng said.

"I'm afraid of being alone." Her voice was soft, trembling at the end. Her gray-green eyes darted away for a moment before looking up at him again. "Could... I sleep here for a while? I'll sleep on the floor."

Lin Feng looked at her silently for a few seconds, then stepped back to make way for the doorway. "Come in, sleep on the sofa."

The sofa in the room was a little smaller than the one in Ouyang Qian's room, but big enough for her to lie down. Lin Feng took a thin blanket from the closet and placed it on the sofa, then poured her a glass of hot water.

Sofia took the cup with both hands, sat on the armrest of the sofa, and sipped it slowly, her eyes never leaving him. Her posture was very stiff, her bathrobe was open at the hem, and her two long legs stretched out from under the hem, her knees pressed tightly together, her calves pressed together, so white they seemed to reflect light.

"I heard from them that you only have one older brother?" Lin Feng leaned against the bed and started chatting with her.

Sofia nodded. "I grew up with my aunt, but she passed away, leaving only my brother in the army. He was sent to the front two months ago, and last month he sent me money and a letter. He told me to leave Ukraine as soon as possible, go to another country, and not to worry about anything. I have no other relatives; my mother and father passed away a long time ago."

At this point, Sofia held up her glass, tracing the rim with her fingertips, "I spent all my money to smuggle myself into Germany, only to be scammed and almost had my passport confiscated. Later, I was sold to that shop."

"Is your brother still on the front lines?"

"I don't know." Her voice lowered. "I called him, but I couldn't get through. Maybe he's already..." She didn't finish her sentence, her head bowed, and the steam from her water glass slowly rose.

Lin Feng didn't press further. He suddenly remembered the news he'd been seeing these past two days: the conflict between Ukraine and Russia seemed to be escalating, with minor skirmishes happening every day.

I glanced at Sofia on the sofa. She had finished her water and placed the cup on the carpet. She had curled up in the thin blanket, her face turned toward the back of the sofa, with only half of her face showing.

Her breathing gradually slowed down, as if she had fallen asleep.

Lin Feng turned off the light and climbed into bed. The curtains weren't fully drawn, and a thin ray of light leaked in through the gap, illuminating the ceiling.

I lay there with my eyes closed for a while, my mind still racing with what happened today. Buying a Ukrainian girl for 85,000 euros—even at Hohai University, I doubt anyone would believe it.

As for what to do next, we'll see.